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About The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191? | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1904)
IFr'kltll ' lPCJ ' ! 'II ' M 1w pe erx + t k > . - . - , . April , .8 i 1904 ' , . THE FALLS CITY TRIBUNE 3 f _ _ _ . , . . : . . . . . . . _ _ . . _ , _ ' . o 'iI I - ' ' . t ) W r : ; : M BRBAD ; ! AN D ) OVE. ] If" : , 1 : . . . . . $1" ; ' , , . ' ' . $ : lIY NELIH11 K. : JlLISSE'l"l' . ' ' . - . . . ' . - - . 411'11 have : to t t ( ll her tonight , " i'Iir. ' : , , said : < Jean \lo < leste. I He swept the last brown fold I oa net together , and , rising slow- I I IJ' , hung them 011 a nail behind the \ door. He stood for a moment ( i - looking round the little broken , down shed , which smelt so S1rollg- ! IJ' of fish and tal' His straight , 1 \ ! dark features wore , for once , n look of distaste. The narrow ' bed , in the corner ( , the wet nets that draped the wall , the old sea chest neon ' which he had been sitting , the gaudy "Virgin and Child" which his dead mother had pinned ' " , I long ago beside the tiny window f --they were . so poor and wretched , ' these after all. And ' - . things , yet , unl'Bs Iw oheye his father . now , I" these few ' : even ( poyel'ty-strlCken . possefsious'otiIcI he his 110 . longer. He turned away with a sudden , , ' . . itllpatieut movement , and wen t. \ \J. ; out. It was eyening , and men : l were lounging against the low wall of the qua\ Switches of talk and laughter came and went upon the still air. At sea a mist } was ris- i iug after the heat of the day , like I a thin white curtain \ , which an un- seen hand kept moving to and fro I , Jo.a : _ nlodest strode along the qua in si lelll'l' . 'l'lw ( lounger turned to look ai him as he went , , . and one 01' two Hung ( a jovial ! re- , : r mark after hinl. He heard the word "wp ding" at' least twice , . and each ( time his black : \ head wpnl. r a little t higher in the air and his ! eyes < glpampd snIlpny. ] Some one y I laughed as he passel ( , and he set his teeth and muttered a curse un dl'l' his hl'f.'nth. His father lUlll not been > long about t publishing hh ; Yietory. He left- the quuy and struck y through the pines along the shol'l' Under the red rocks that jutted out t in a Ii ttlr I pronlantOry into tilt sea a girl was \\'aiting' He caught t the flutter of her dress , the gleam : _ , d of her hair as she 'aIlle ( , and set his teeth i again. 11 was that gleaming - ing mass of hair , so unusual to hh southern yes , which had caught his fancy first when he saw hel' leaning over the. wall of the qua ' , the sit w him long before he i reached her , bu { she did not come to i mel' ( ' him as she had always done befol'p. Instead , she stood very still ; IIPl' hands hanging at her sides , only her dress fluttering 1 now and tlwn as Uw sea air caught : w it. \Yhpn at last he cane dose to ' , her he saw t hat-her face was very pa1e } , her wide soft eyes had a strained look Even the bright hair that I.t' lovedvas ruffled and , , : wild , aH hough t she had not cared to smooth it back : before she carne out. - He held out his hands , but , with i - a sudden movement , she shrank back. For a momeIIt neither I spola' He stood sullenly before I her , his head bent , his eye full of j tWmheL' fire ; a mad angel' against i her , himself , his father-tlm whole world - tearing at ' his ; . . _ heaL't. f- 1 \ ' , . M. _ , . _ _ _ _ - - " ' . "Oh , Jean , " her voice was thin and hoarse , "ii isn't hue ? " He could not look at her. lie tried to find words to answer , but they would not 'omp. Suddenly ; she turned from him , and , drop' ping on to a I'l'd footstool of rock , lovel'cd i her face with hel.1wnds. : "Oh , Jean ! " -he heard the sobs ! 'hokingh1' as she , spoke-- " , 'oll pm'0111ised [ n1- , 'OU Tu'omispd- " Slit' was still , save for the grief flint t shook her as she sat t : there rocking herself to and fro with the dl'padf'ul 111p'hallieal l'pgn1arityof dpsj1ail' He stOOd before her , mate , sullen ; , a tall blue figure 1)05- ] Be spd by all Ow devils of shame , I'P11101'8e H\H1 : passion. Suddenly he dropped 011 his knees beside her and put his arms round her with a I'oug-hvess t hat was almost brnta " \Vhat \ does it" mutter to you ? " he ti aid in her ear. "You'ye got m-not that othel' 1 marry her t(1 please Uly father ; no , not to please him , but because , unless I do it , 1'111 a I'ggar. ) I ) o you under stand ? ? \\'hu1 . if ImHrl'yhel'eh' ? I love 'ou-rou-.you- His VOice choked , and he covered the hands lie ( had dragged from her face with Ids-t' : She lifted her pale fact. ' and looked at him with wet , wild P\'ps. " \ \ 'hshould , you care' ! " lIt ! Wl'ut on "lo ) you think 1 am go , ing to leave : von for her ! " lie laughed a little ! savage laugh uu dl'l' his bl'patllIr : \ , father nmay nW'I'me ; , to t her if i he pleHsPs- bp ( 'HU' ! 'elwin ale to her petti coats , I suppose-ell , little one ! " His0 ice softened curiously , "You're Inille-always ( , " he said .J3Jte looked at him for an instant longer. Then ' , shivering a little ( , she drew her hands from his The deadl3 ) pallor of her face struck him dumb. "Hid ) you think I was that sort . -J euu' ! " she asked. He knelt beside her in silence Hepl'oal'h could have struck IH deelJ'r ( It was not anger in her voice-it was surprise } ; and .it cut him like a knife. " ' " "You think would do-that , she said , slowlY , "and yet you say you love me. Yon marry her for the money she has-and yet you say you love me ! " here was silence again. ile hung his head under the 1 gaze of her accusing eJ''s . "H's tTUP enough , " lw said ; "I ' do love rou Vo you want : to see nw begging b\ the roadside , elL ! Is that what you ' call love' ? " TIe laughed HngrilJ' "LOye'R a fine thing when the spa's smooth , " 1\\\ said , " bu1 it isn't t worth " dying for , little 011 ( ' . \rhen a man's offered bl'pad ( in one hand und , love in the oiht\r-well , he < dO,8n't choose . , lov ( ' , " HI\ \ ( > rose from lip ( rocks and drew her faded skirt away fl'om ( him. 'here [ was a kind of hOl'I'01' in her face. lie saw it , and caught at her skirt , missing : it. Vhere \ are you going , ell ? " he said , quieldJ' " \Vhatdoyoumean to do ! " She turned and looked back at him for a second'itli dull eJ'es. "I don't' kndw where I'll go , " , she . , said sill " 1 don't ( know what , simplr ) ) ; ( ; \ \ I'll lIo. " lie sprang } / to his feet and : mah . n step after her , bui the look on hPl' face / lIPid him hapk. "No t 1-ha , " she siti(1. " 'oil \ shall } \ ( > \'Pl' O1H'h t me aga in. : \ mUll dopsn't choose 100'e. . . . 170 back -to Your llL'l'a I" ! Jean Modest ( sat tale tha1 llifl'h1in the ( 'al' < ' . , lie was mood and sullen , ana I'Pt'll'pd he ( feli'i- tat ions of his friends upon his ap' ( l'oaching ) marriage with a singH lar lack of genialit\ The rough jokes proper ] to,11w Occasion only I elicited a growl front him in reply } \ and at last his fpll\\ fishers let' l him alone , to drink his wine in lwacl' He drank more than was good for him , enough io have made him drunk on any other night. On this ! : ! however , the strong black stint left him as it found him a little more sullen and silent , perhaps } , but : otherwise the 1 same. More \ than one curious glance was cast at his gloomy face before the end of' 1he e\'ning. His father met him in the dark inn passage , slouching out to his shed , aIlll glanced at him with a suspicious eJ'e Black Oporges Modeste : had never quite made out his silent son "You'll go out to the nets at dawn , " he said. 'falw the old boat , and don't : go on to the Camel - el Hoek. It'll be a bit thick our there before mOI'lling " .Jpan : growled sonic inaL'ticuln.tl' " response ) and passed on Tie bunged the door of the little I shed which served him ] for a bedroom , and stumbled savagely against a hilt ! of baHkets. The moonlight was falling brightly through the scrap of window 111)011 the crudely colored ! Virgin and Child pinned ] 011 the wall. Iris ( 'Jes , caught by the gleam of yellow hair under"H ' i. .Iadonna's ! : white veil , rested upon hp t picture for a monwIlt : The gleam of gold , time fufm' , pale face. struck him witlI a sudden , unen- tumble ( stab of remembl'ancp Turuiug from the picture } with something between an oath aild a Hob , he flung himsP1f , face down , ward , upon the hed All night he lay sleepless , racked ] hy a fierce struggle which hurt 'liili as though with some tier ( ( ' physical ( 1 pain. Once he Iialf" Itnrt"- cd up , and 5tHsal'jug-afihemooll' ( light with desperatceyes. No , he could not give her up. He would go to her now and tell her so. He spemed to I see himself 1l'mging t ] through the scented ( ( woods to the little cabin where she lived with her ! imbecile grt'Ildmot : hpl' . UP stood at hcr ] window and tapped , and she came out to him , poor child , as she had come so many H lime be1'ol'e. TIe heard his own voice telling hel'-he saw the glad- ness of her face. . . . Then the madness of it all came over him again , and he fell heavily back and lay still. The stars were growing pall' when he rose , gl'OIwd his WHY to the door and went t OU t. The air - - - - - , . . - . . . . . . : , . . : > c".o ' ! ' ! ' ; : : : . " , was cold , a white mist lay nCl'OSH the bay. lIe shivered once 01' twice ( 118 lIP unmool'ed the 1 old boa and pushed 011' The mist lay : low down , so that tilt Oars , as lw rowed , seemed to cut flee t fog instead - stead : of the water , and great drops of moist ul'e grew , as though b.y some magic process , upon the l'ol1eI.T-uJ ( } sleeves of his shil't. It was all cold , clammy , ghostly , and ineou'eh'ably , still. Even the bent : of the oars sceuu'(1 ml1med a8 llc headed for tw ] horns of the baJ' He went slowly , hugging time spe ) IIi 1 outline ( of the rocks along fIll' I sllore.:1'he : mist reamed pas1 him in wl'paths and trails , like wet smokc. Lit thought ( of the Camel Hoek l , and laughed hittel'lr to iminl self in SilPllI'P A t last" lit struggled out between - hvt''n the horns of the hi ] tie hal" , bOl' Ilnd found his father's ( nets. . l'hehad ' , drifted ] n little , and most of them were ' emptJ' lIe drew t hem in , One hy one , with only a solitu'y : 'ouet ] { 01' l'ascaSSt struggling here and there in the folds. One net bad drifted .fu1'- thel' than the I'PSt. Tie rowed after it slowl\ , , looking l1P at HIP veiled outline of the s11ore. . Somewhere above : t iihim , among thc pines , was : 1 he li ( ' 11e.'a hin , with its brown , snnlrn roof , its hedgp ] of wild m,1'11p Somewhere above him , in t lie c'old mist , was : the fdl'- : . haired girl lie had lost- - , lIe found lIP t corks hobbing ! up and down upon the still water , IJnd readied out fOl' the net. It was 11Pa ry. Be leaned far out of Ore boat to' drag it 111' ' , and the light vessel ilceltd ] over with him until her sidp lay almost level , with Ore ruffled water as lu' tugged at the npt He could not . - understand : its weight and swore as he hauled it in. . ' , All at once he sat still , staring before him into the water. : A . gleam i1w : wPi' gold : begun to show tlii ouglt the brown meshes of the d . n < 't' . " Jean odeste , white and still , - ; : made one mOl'p effort and hauled the net into tIle boat. Then he knelt down beside it Imad began , with a dreadful quietness , to cut tIre brown meshes away dom Ilse body of the girl with yellow ; hail' , _ " . . She was quite dead. He knelt at the bottom of the boat , and heW her wet , fair head against hili bl'cast. TIe had had his eholce. _ . . and Jw had chosen Ul'l'ad , awl - : ; : , T..o\'P-T..o\'P , and BI'eu1. : IIp loolwd down , Rh1111clp1'ing This ; . was his choice-this. , . : Suddenly n putT of air tore through the fog , and lifted it high above the drift big i hoa t. A rcd light showed in the slQ'-the wind had risen with the 1 Hm. ! Every instant the wind grew , and light sIB'a" dashed across time boat ; out of the morning fogIt dark shape began \ to loom. ' Jean rodestp , seeing it , lifted ' his bowed head. A moment mare and he had sprung to his feet and was hoisting the huge red sai1. Then 1\1tlt ] down again and took I tint dead ! girl in his al'111S. It was Continued 011 page 5. i 7 7I I - _ . . , , . , - . . . . NW.i + w .i.a - : . e l